


New Beginnings

by molstrom



Series: Path to Forever [2]
Category: Veronica Mars (Movie 2014), Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: Don Lamb/Veronica Mars past, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:47:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24951052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/molstrom/pseuds/molstrom
Summary: Set after "Boundaries, Deputy, Boundaries". The prologue takes place during the movie, the rest of the story takes place before Season four.
Relationships: Veronica Mars/Eli "Weevil" Navarro
Series: Path to Forever [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1803442
Comments: 24
Kudos: 12





	1. Prologue - Changes

**Author's Note:**

> For the record...I love Don, probably more than the next girl. I'm sorry in advance.

About a month after I found out I was pregnant, Wallace and Mac started harassing me about going to our 10-year high school reunion in a couple of months.  
“Why do I need to go to the reunion? I still hang out with everyone I liked in high school.”  
“Come on Veronica. It’ll be fun. We’ll get drunk and make fun of people.”  
“Yeah, about that…I won’t be able to get drunk for at least another…6 months or so.”

Wallace just stared at me until Mac started screaming.  
“You’re pregnant again? Oh, Veronica, that’s wonderful!”  
Mac jumped up and hugged me, knocking me over onto the couch.  
“Congratulations Veronica.”  
“Thanks, Wallace.”  
I smiled at him, and then Mac said:  
“You still have to come to the reunion.”  
“Mac, I cannot deal with those people unliquored.”  
“Veronica….it’ll be fun.”  
“For absolutely no-one.”

Don walked into the room and said:  
“Mac, get off my wife.”  
Mac scrambled up and said:  
“Don, convince her that going to the reunion will be fun.”  
“Don, tell Mac she’s insane.”

Don looked from Mac to me and laughed.  
“It could be fun to go to the reunion babe.”  
“I’d rather not deal with those people.”  
“You mean Madison.”  
“I always mean Madison. She’s awful.”  
“Maybe she’s grown up.”  
“Doubtful. I’m not going.”

Mac looked at me and then at Don.  
“Fine. Then your smoking hot husband can be my date.”  
“Fine by me. Take him.”  
I waved my hand dismissively at both of them and Mac dissolved into laughter.  
“She says that now but then the night will come and she will threaten my life for trying to steal you.”  
“She kind of loves me.”

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

A couple of weeks later I walk into the house after a doctor’s appointment and everyone I know is in my living room.  
“Congratulations!”  
“Who told all of you? We were waiting!”  
Dad walks up to me and says:  
“Your darling husband did. I guess he couldn’t wait any longer.”  
“Where is he? And where’s Michael?”

Eli walks up, kisses me on the cheek, and says:  
“He and Michael were at the grocery store, then Jade called saying her car broke down. He was on that end of town, so he and Michael are going by to pick up Jade and Valentina. They’ll be here soon.”  
Eli’s phone rings and he steps away to answer it.  
“Jade, calm down. What do you mean Don isn’t there yet? He was only a few blocks away.”  
“Okay. Call a cab. I’ll try to get a hold of Don.”

He hangs up, looks at me, and then dials Don’s number.  
“It’s going to voicemail V. Can you try?”

I pull my phone out and call Don.  
“Nope. Voicemail.”  
I look at Dad and say:  
“Should I call Dan?”  
“No honey, I’m sure Don is just on his way to where Jade is and will call back as soon as he isn’t driving.”  
“Okay.”

(I don’t have a good feeling, and I’m starting to get nauseous.)

There’s a knock on the door and Wallace goes to answer it. Sheriff Dan Lamb is on the other side, holding Michael in his arms. He looks past Wallace at me and says:  
“Veronica…I’m sorry.”

I see Wallace take Michael from his uncle, but then I must pass out because the next thing I remember I am laying on my bed. Dan is standing in the doorway of my room, Mac and Wallace are both sitting on the edge of the bed, and Eli is standing by the window.

“Where is Don?”  
Dan clears his throat and says:  
“I’m sorry, Veronica. There was an attempted robbery at the grocery store. Don tried to stop them…They shot him.”

He has tears streaming down his face, and I think if I was thinking clearly I would stop pressing and go try to comfort him, but I don’t.  
“So he’s at the hospital?”

Mac holds my hand and says:  
“No sweetie. He didn’t make it.”  
“What? No. Not fucking possible.”

Dan moves closer to my bed and says:  
“When I got there Michael was sitting next to Don’s body. He wouldn’t leave his daddy.”  
“Where is Michael?”

Eli moves over to the bed and says:  
“With your dad and Jade. They are giving him and Valentina a bath.”  
“I need to see him.”

I try to get out of bed but my legs collapse from under me when I try to stand. Eli catches me and says:  
“You need to rest, V. You need to take care of that creature inside you.”

I put my hand on my stomach and start to cry.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Two months later I’m sitting in the waiting room of the doctor’s office with Jade sitting next to me when my phone rings. It’s Logan.  
“Logan.”  
“Veronica. I need your help.”  
“I don’t really do that anymore.”  
“I just need your help vetting lawyers. Please. I didn’t kill her.”  
“Fine. I’ll meet you at your house in the morning.”

I hang up and put my phone back in my purse. Jade looks at me and says:  
“Please be careful Veronica.”  
“I’m not going to investigate. Just help him to choose a lawyer.”  
“You say that now, but Eli says it was always difficult for you to not get involved in things that affect Logan.”  
“That was a long time ago. He couldn’t even be bothered to come to Don’s funeral.”  
“Was he in town?”  
“Yes. He was staying with Dick, and Dick came to the funeral.”  
“Ugh. Men.”  
“Seconded…except for yours.”  
“Except for mine. He’s wonderful.”  
“Yeah, he is.”  
“Yours was wonderful too.”  
“He wasn’t always, but he definitely turned out that way.”

Jade and I come out of my appointment later and she says:  
“Are you going to tell everyone the gender?”  
“Eventually. You can tell Eli if you want.”  
“Veronica? I know this is a stupid question, but are you okay sweetie?”  
“No. I’m not. At all. But I have to be, right? I mean, I have Michael at home and a little girl on the way. At least Michael will have some memories of his daddy, but this munchkin will never get to meet him. It’s not fair, Jade.”

(I’m crying in the middle of the sidewalk now. Stupid hormones.)

She wraps me in her arms and rubs circles on my back.   
“Want me to send Eli over to your house tonight? You guys can have take out and watch a movie like the old days.”  
“I would love that. Are you sure it’s okay?”  
“Of course. Valentina and I will have a girl's night.”  
“Thank you, Jade.”  
“No worries, V. Also, I’m not going to tell him you are having a little girl. You should do that.”

I kiss Jade’s cheek and say:  
“I’m so happy Eli married you. I have to go pick Michael up from Dad’s now. Thank you for coming with me.”  
“You’re welcome, Veronica.”

A few hours later Michael and I are at home, he’s in his room napping and I’m laying on my bed when I hear the front door open and close. I hear footsteps on the stairs, and then they stop. I look towards my bedroom door as it opens.  
“Jesus Eli. You scared me.”  
“Sorry, V. I didn’t want to wake you guys up if you were napping.”  
“It’s okay. I scare easily these days.”

Eli takes off his shoes and walks towards my bed. He slowly sits on the edge and says:  
“Can I?”  
“Yeah.”

I move over a bit to make room for him and he lays down behind me and wraps his arms around me, one hand resting on my stomach.  
“She’s been moving around a bit today. Maybe you’ll be able to feel her.”  
“Her? You’re having a girl, V?”  
“Yeah.”

I start to cry. (Again, ugh.)

“Oh, V. Sweetheart, come here.”

I roll over to face Eli.  
“It’s not fair Eli.”  
“I know baby. I know.”  
He rubs small circles on my back and puts his other hand on my cheek, gently brushing away my tears with his thumb.   
“I’m so sorry Veronica. If I could take the pain away, I would.”

He softly kisses me and says:  
“We should get up and figure out what we’re having for dinner.”  
“Okay, I’ll go dig out the menus, can you get Michael up from his nap?”  
“Of course.”

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

A few days later I am deep in investigating Logan’s case. (Eli and Jade were right, I couldn’t help it.) Mac and Wallace suggest that we go out for dinner and tell me to leave Michael with Dad. Dad eagerly agrees, of course, so Mac and Wallace pick me up from Dad’s house. When I notice that they are way too dressed up for dinner out they fess up that they are taking me to the reunion.  
“I’m not going.”  
“It’ll be good for you to come out with us, Ronnie. I promise everything will be fine.”

We get to the reunion and I immediately resent the fact that everyone but me can drink. I run into Eli and Jade and chat with them for a bit, but then Logan shows up. 

While I’m outside with him, Mac comes out to find me. We walk in as Madison starts playing videos from high school. 

As I look at the screen my heart breaks because there is a video of Don and Madison on it. I hear laughter from the other side of the room, and then Logan is gone from beside me and the laughter turns to shouting. 

All I can see is the man I love, the father of my children, having sex with the one person I hate more than anything on the big screen. 

(Madison was willing to put her own sex tape up on the screen in front of our entire graduating class just to hurt me. Clearly I was right about her not growing up.)

Suddenly there are two sets of arms around me.  
“Veronica...what do we do?”  
(Jade...okay.)  
“Ronnie, all the guys are fighting. Logan started it, then Dick, Wallace, and Eli all jumped in. We have to stop them somehow.”  
(Mac...I can do this.)  
I tear my eyes away from the screen and pull a lighter out of my purse.  
“You two go outside. I'll handle the boys.”

They listen right away, leaving me in the chaos. I climb up on a chair under the stairs and trigger the sprinkler system. The water starts coming down and everyone runs for the exit. 

Madison walks over and stands in front of me. She says something about me ruining everything and marrying her sloppy seconds. I don't think about what I'm about to do, but all of a sudden she's on the floor and my hand hurts. While I'm walking up the stairs to leave I pass Mr.C. and he makes a comment about how the last ten years have been boring.

When I get outside I tell Mac that I've had enough excitement for the night and I want to go home.  
“I’ll take you back to your dad’s. I'm so sorry Veronica.”  
“It’s ok. Thanks, Mac.”

By the time we get to Dad’s, I'm exhausted so I ask him if Michael and I can stay the night. Of course, he agrees, so I change into one of his shirts, climb into bed with my son, and cry myself to sleep.

Early the next morning my phone rings. It's Jade.  
“Veronica? Eli is in the hospital. And he's under arrest. I need you.”  
“I’ll be right there.”

I get out of bed and find Dad up and ready for the day.  
“Dad, Eli...”  
He interrupts me and says:  
“I know. He's in the hospital and under arrest. You aren't going.”  
"Jade called me and asked me to go.”  
“Eli called me himself and asked me to help and told me to tell you that you are forbidden from getting involved.”  
"But Dad...it’s Eli! I have to do something.”  
“You may come with me to see him, but then you are going home and spending the day with your son.”  
“Fine. I will leave the investigation to you.”  
“Thank you. That bag over there has clean clothes for you and Michael. You should go get ready and then we’ll go see Eli.”

After we go to see Eli, Michael and I go home. I get him to help me put together the crib for his little sister and then we both lay down for a nap. I wake up to the sound of someone banging on my front door, so I get up and go downstairs. I open the door and say:  
“Hello, Celeste.”  
“Veronica. May I come in dear?”  
“Of course.”

I step aside and gesture towards the living room.  
“Can I get you a drink?”  
“No, I’m fine dear. I just need to talk to you about Eli Navarro.”  
“You want to talk about the fact that you shot the man who was trying to help you?”  
“Yes. What can I do?”  
“You can talk to my dad and Cliff. They are handling Eli’s case. Eli doesn’t want me involved.”  
“But dear, your brother-in-law is the sheriff.”  
“Dan doesn’t listen to me. We haven’t even spoken since Don’s funeral.”  
“Why not dear?”  
“Because he’s a piece of shit, Celeste. You know that.”  
“That is an accurate statement. Yes. Alright, I will go see your father.”  
“Okay.”  
I stand up to walk her out, and as she is leaving she says:  
“Veronica, dear, I never said anything before, but I’m sorry for your loss. Don was a good man.”  
“Thank you, Celeste.”

Since Michael is still sleeping, I call Logan.  
“Can you come over? I have a theory.”  
“Yeah, we’ll be right there.”

When Logan and Dick arrive I tell them my theory of why Bonnie was killed. Logan and I decide we need to go investigate Gia. Dick offers to stay with Michael.  
“Are you sure Dick?”  
“Yeah, Ronnie. I’m good with kids.”  
“My theory is that he’s good with kids because he is a kid.”  
I look at Logan and laugh.  
“You’re probably right.”

I walk Dick through Michael’s after nap routine and give him all the emergency numbers.  
“Michael knows you, so he should be fine with you being here.”  
“Go Ronnie. I got this. Little dude and I will be just fine.”  
“Thanks, Dick.”

Logan and I head over to Gia’s armed with surveillance gear. 

A few hours later I’m in the hospital getting checked out (just to be safe, as a crazy person was just trying to kill me). Once I get the all-clear I head upstairs to check in on Eli.  
“V? What are you doing here?”  
“Oh, I had to have a check-up in the ER. It’s nothing.”  
Eli growls at me.  
“Explain.”  
“I will not explain anything to you unless you calm down.”  
“Veronica.”  
“Fine. There was an incident today while I was investigating Bonnie’s death - I figured it out by the way - and everyone thought it would be best if munchkin and I came to be checked out. We’re fine.”

He’s looking at me with those eyes he uses when he can’t decide if he wants to kiss me or smack me upside the head.  
“Honestly Eli. We’re both fine.”  
“Come here.”  
I walk closer to the bed and reach out to take his hand.  
“What?”  
“Closer.”  
I sit on the edge of the bed and face him.  
“What Eli?”  
He pulls me closer and says:  
“Lay with me for a minute. Please? I just need to feel that you are safe.”  
“It’s a tiny hospital bed, Eli.”  
“And you’re pocket-sized Veronica. Lie down.”  
“Fine.”  
He moves over a bit and rolls onto his side. I carefully lay down next to him, so close that our noses are practically touching. I say:  
“See? I’m fine. Besides, I’m not the one who recently got shot.”  
“I’m not the one currently growing a human.”   
“Touché.”

We lay like that for a while, just looking at each other. Occasionally he lifts his hand to run his fingertips down the side of my face, but other than that we don’t move.

A while later Jade walks in.  
“Veronica! There you are. We’ve all been trying to call you.”  
“Is Michael okay?”  
“He’s fine sweetie. Dick dropped him off at my house just a little while ago. He’s with Valentina and the sitter. We’ve all been trying to reach you because Logan went on TV with what happened. Are you okay?”  
“I’m fine. Here, help me up and I’ll leave you and your husband alone.”  
“You’re fine right where you are honey. This is the calmest Eli has been since he got brought to the hospital.”  
“I really should be going. I’m supposed to be having dinner with Dad and Logan.”

Eli looks at me and I can feel him trying to will me to stay.  
“I’ll be back tomorrow.”  
I lean in ever so slightly and gently kiss his lips, then climb out of bed. I hug Jade and kiss her cheek.   
“Do you think Michael could stay with you tonight?”  
“Of course. You know I love him.”  
“Thanks, Jade. I’ll pick him up in the morning.”

The setup for dinner at Dad’s was uneventful, but before Logan could get there Dad said he needed to go meet a source and he’d be right back. 

The rest of the night is a blur. I know that Dad is hurt, Logan saved him, and Sacks is dead.

I see Dan Lamb at the hospital and I yell at him:  
“You tried to have my father killed!”  
He takes a step back and shakes his head.  
“No, Veronica. I wouldn’t do that. Not to you. You are family.”  
“Then who did?”  
“I don’t know.”  
He walked away then, and I have no idea if I believed him or not.

Logan walked up and said:  
“Let me take you home Ronnie.”  
“I’m going to stay here.”  
“Your dad is in surgery.”  
“I’ll stay with Eli. I don’t want to be alone.”  
“I’ll stay with you at your house.”  
“Thank you for the offer Logan, but no. If it wasn’t so late I’d go to Jade’s for the night, but since it is, I’ll just stay here with Eli.”  
“Okay.”  
I enter Eli’s room and he opens his eyes to look at me.  
“You’re back.”  
I start to cry (I can’t help it, I’m exhausted, overwhelmed, and pregnant), and Eli moves over in the bed, rolling onto his side.  
“Come here, baby.”

I climb into bed and say:  
“Dad is in surgery and Sacks is dead. Someone tried to kill both of them.”  
“Sacks was Keith’s source for my case.”  
“I know.”  
“So it’s my fault?”  
“No. Of course not. It’s the sheriff’s department. It’s fucking corrupt.”  
“Are you staying?”  
“Yeah, if that’s alright with you. I don’t want to be alone. Logan offered to stay with me at home, but…”  
“But you didn’t want to be alone with Logan? Or you didn’t think you’d feel safe without me?”  
“Both?”  
“Perfectly fair answer. Go to sleep V.”  
“Okay.”

I close my eyes and try to drift off. I can feel his breath on my face, and can hear him whisper:  
“I’m so sorry, V. I love you.”  
I mumble without opening my eyes:  
“Not your fault. I love you too.”

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Two days after Eli was released from the hospital he was back on the motorcycle he hadn’t ridden in years, leading the gang he hadn’t led in a decade. 

A couple of months later Jade left him. She said she couldn't handle being married to a gang leader, so she took Valentina and moved across the country.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Two weeks after Jade left, I delivered a healthy baby girl with Eli by my side. I named her Lillian.


	2. Life Goes On

It was definitely rough being a single mom to two kids in the beginning, but I figured it out. Don was dead, Jade was gone, and Dad was recovering from his injuries, so I had no-one to help me with the kids when I worked. That is until Dick showed up at my doorstep and offered to babysit. With him watching the kids, I took the California Bar Exam and started working with Cliff as well as at Mars Investigations. 

Once I had the income from two jobs I was able to hire a full-time nanny, but Dick was still around all the time. He didn’t have anyone either since Logan was away with the Navy so much, and he was really good with the kids. 

Eli took a settlement from the county, derailing the investigation Dad and Cliff were doing. His legitimate garage closed and he took over his uncle’s chop shop. We had a couple of blow-up fights in the weeks following Lillian’s birth, and he stopped calling and visiting. 

The first couple of years of Lillian’s life went like that. Me working lots, the kids spending a lot of time with Dick, and once Dad was mostly recovered he started watching them too. Mac moved away, Wallace got married, and life went on.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

It had been 3 years since our last big blow-up fight the first time Eli showed up at my house. I had heard from Jade earlier in the day, so I knew their divorce was finalized. 

The kids were spending the night at Dad’s, and I was sitting on the couch trying to read a case file when he knocked on the door.  
“Eli? What are you doing here?”  
“Can I come in, V?”  
“Yeah.”

I step back and let him into the house. He walks in and closes the door behind him.  
“What are you doing tonight, V?”  
“Enjoying peace and quiet and attempting to read a case file…I’m failing. Can’t seem to concentrate on it.”  
“Where are the kids?”  
“At Dad’s for the night. Dick will pick them up in the morning.”

He looks at me, confused.  
“Dick? As in Casablancas?”  
“Yeah. He spends a lot of time with them. They call him Uncle Dickie.”  
“I didn’t realize you guys were so close.”

I shrug.  
“He showed up when I had no-one else. He’s been there every time I’ve needed him. The last time Lillian was sick he slept on the floor next to her bed for 3 days just so she wouldn’t be alone. He’s a good guy. Much better than he was in high school.”  
“Are you two…?”  
“No. Dick is still not my type. What are you doing here Eli?”

He looks uncomfortable for a second like he’s debating leaving without answering the question.  
“I missed you.”  
“And whose fault is that? You had your life together Eli and you just threw it away.”  
“Please, Veronica. I don’t want to fight with you. I want to curl up on the couch and watch a movie and then hold you while you sleep like we used to…Please.”  
“We can watch a movie, but you aren’t spending the night.”  
“Okay. I’ll take what I can get.”

I walk into the living room and clean up my case files, dumping them on my dining room table. I hand Eli the remote and say:  
“Pick a movie. I’ll get snacks.”  
“Any genre in particular?”  
“I don’t want to think.”  
“Romantic movie it is.”

I shake my head and walk into the kitchen. When I come back with popcorn, chocolate, and drinks I see that he’s chosen ‘Catch and Release’.  
“Really?”  
“It’s a good movie, V.”  
“What is with you and romance movies?”  
“You said you didn’t want to think. This movie has no thinking required.”  
“Will I cry?”  
“Yes.”  
“Will you?”  
“Yes.”  
“I’ll get a box of tissues.”

Once I have the box of tissues I come back to the couch. Eli has shifted how he’s sitting, leaving me a small portion of the couch between him and the arm of the couch. (Like we used to sit, so I could cuddle in his lap.)  
“No. This does not work for me. I need you to pick an end. We’ll put the snacks between us for easy reaching.”  
“Veronica…”

He has that ‘kicked puppy’ look on his face, but I hold firm.  
“We haven’t had a reasonable conversation in over a year, haven’t really been friends in three, and you expect me to practically sit on your lap while we watch this movie? Not going to happen Eli.”  
“Okay. But the offer is open if you change your mind.”

He moves over to the arm of the couch and I place the snacks and tissues next to him before I sit down as well. Once I’m sitting I realize there are too many lights on to watch a movie, so I get back up. I lock the door and turn off all the lights except one in the kitchen, then sit back down.

“Ready?”  
“Yeah.”  
Eli starts the movie and puts the remote down. Ten minutes in I’m crying like a baby. Eli pauses the movie and says:  
“Do you want me to stop it and pick something else?”  
“No. Push play.”

Eli presses play, but I notice when he puts the remote down he leaves his hand sitting on the couch between us. Twenty minutes later I’ve laughed a couple of times, but mostly I’ve just been crying. I look over at Eli and he’s crying too. I reach over and put my hand on top of his. I see a small smirk on his face out of the corner of my eye.  
“Don’t get cocky mister.”  
“I would never dream of it.”  
“Uh-huh.”

We watch the rest of the movie, crying through the whole thing. When it was done, Eli said:  
“Did you like it?”  
“I loved it. But I think I need to watch something a little more uplifting now. Want to stay for another movie?”  
“Of course. You wanna pick this time?”  
“No, I trust you. I’ll clean up the snack stuff.”

I get up to take the empty popcorn bowl and glasses into the kitchen and I throw away the candy wrappers and used tissues. I come back to the couch and Eli has ‘When Harry Met Sally’ queued up.  
“We’ve seen this.”  
“Years ago V. Come on, sit down.”  
“Fine.”  
I sit at my end of the couch, but I look at Eli, studying his face.  
“What’s up V?”  
“Are you going to leave me again?”  
“I never meant to leave you before, Veronica.”  
“But you did. You left. I needed you, and you chose your gang over me. Just like you did with Jade. How can I trust you again?”  
“For starters, Jade left me. Not the other way around.”  
“You left her emotionally long before she physically left you. We both know that Eli.”  
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Eli gets up and comes over to me. He kneels on the floor at my feet and puts his hands on my thighs.  
“Did you really stop trusting me? Really think about it, Veronica.”

I look at him, studying the face I know so well. I put my hand on his cheek and he leans into it.  
“No. I guess I didn’t. But it hurt when you left.”  
“I won’t leave you again Veronica. I promise.”  
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep Eli. Everyone leaves.”

Eli reaches up and puts his hands on my face. He pulls my face closer to his and says:  
“Not me. You are stuck with me, sweetheart.”

He kisses me then, all soft and sweet like he’s asking if it’s okay.

I pull away slightly and sigh:  
“Eli…”

He takes that as a sign that I’m okay with this. (Which I think I am, but it’s been so long since I’ve kissed anyone, that I don’t know.)

“Baby, that’s your outside voice.”  
“It was?”  
“Yes. Do you want me to kiss you again or do you want to watch the movie?”  
“Both?”

Eli quietly growls under his breath.  
“That’s not an answer V.”  
“You know your voice gets all husky and sexy when you’re annoyed at me.”  
“Yeah? You like that do you?”

I pull him up to me and kiss him. When we finally pull apart I say:  
“It’s pretty hot.”  
I kiss him again and say:  
“We should watch the movie.”

Eli groans and says:  
“You’re trying to kill me, Veronica.”  
“Yup. That’s definitely my plan. Come up here.”

I pull on his arm to get him up on the couch with me.  
“Okay, but if we’re going to watch this movie instead of making out, we’re going to sit how I want to sit.”  
“Fine.”

He goes and sits at the end of the couch with his back against the armrest.   
“Come here, Veronica.”

I move towards him and settle between his legs, leaning back against his chest. He wraps his arms around me and presses play on the movie. We make it to the diner scene before we pause to talk.  
“You still think women only sound like that when they are faking?”  
“Yes. Of course.”

He runs his fingers down my arm, brushing them against the side of my breast.  
“I don’t know…I bet I could make you sound like that…without faking.”  
“Doubtful.”  
“Let’s go upstairs, I’ll prove it.”

I think about it for a second and then stand up. I hold out my hand for Eli to take.  
“Seriously? I didn’t expect you to agree to that.”  
“Was it not a serious offer?”  
“Oh, I was definitely being serious. I’ve been fantasizing about this for years.”  
“Then let’s go. What are you waiting for?”  
“I’m waiting to make sure that you are sure.”

I sigh heavily, take off my shirt, then remove my bra and drop it next to my shirt.  
“I’m sure. Now come upstairs with me.”  
When he still doesn’t move I drop my pants and panties in a pile and start walking away.  
I hear him groan behind me:  
“Jesus, Veronica.”  
I can hear him get off the couch and follow me towards the stairs, taking his clothes off as he goes.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

When I wake up in the morning it’s brighter in my room than it should be, and Eli is still there. 

I’m laying there, wrapped up in Eli’s arms staring at his sleeping face when my bedroom door opens. Dick says:  
“Ronnie? You’re still in bed? Are you sick? Do you need me to go to the store?”  
“Dick…go away.”  
“Oh shit. Ronnie, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect you to have a guy in your bed.”  
“Dick…go away. Go pick up the kids.”  
“Ronnie…is that Weevil?”  
“I go by Eli now jackass. Go the fuck away.”  
“I’ll go pick up the kids. We’ll bring home coffee. Please be dressed by the time I get back. Please?”  
“Yes, Dick. Thank you, Dick.”

Dick leaves and closes the door behind him.  
“He has a key to your house?”  
“I told you, he’s here a lot.”  
“My clothes are downstairs V.”  
“I know. We have about an hour before he and the kids are back. I’ll go grab your clothes.”

I get out of bed and put my robe on. I head downstairs and collect my and Eli’s clothes and take them back upstairs with me. I put the clothes on the bed and say:  
“I’m going to shower.”  
I walk across the room to the bathroom door and then turn around and say:  
“Do you want to join me?”

Eli gets out of bed and walks towards me.  
“Yes. Maybe I can make you scream there too.”  
He gets to me, grabs me and kisses me soundly, then says:  
“I totally won that bet by the way.”  
“I guess I can give you that win.”  
“Well, after everything I gave you last night, it seems like the least you could do.”

After the shower (where he did make me scream again) he asked:  
“Should I go before the kids get here?”  
“Why? Are you not intending on sticking around to be a part of their lives?”  
“Not my intention at all baby. I just thought you might not want to introduce me to your kids yet.”  
“Michael remembers you, Lillian’s heard all about you. You aren’t really a new person Eli.”

He kisses me and says:  
“I love you, Veronica.”  
“I love you too. That’s not new either. Please don’t break my heart.”

Before Eli could say anything else we hear the front door open and Dick call:  
“Ronnie? Eli? We’re home.”

I look at Eli and say:  
“No escape now.”  
“I’m not looking for one.”


	3. Old Habits

We went downstairs and had breakfast with the kids. When we were almost done, Michael said:  
“Mommy, Uncle Dickie said he’d teach me to surf today. Can I go? Please Please?”  
“Michael, you’re only 6. I think you’re too young to start surfing.”  
“Aww…Mom.”  
“Ronnie, Logan and I both learned to surf at Michael’s age, and we’ll both be there. He’ll be perfectly safe.”  
“Logan will be there?”  
“Yup. Feel better about the lessons now?”  
“Fine. But Dick, so help me…”  
“I know, anything happens to Michael and you will kill me slowly and no-one will ever find the pieces of me.”  
“You know me so well.”  
“You know, Logan was actually asking if you were ready to start dating again. Guess I’ll have to tell him not to think about asking you out.”

Eli growls behind me and wraps his arms around me.  
“Yeah, Dick. You tell him that.”

Dick and Michael leave to go surfing, and Lillian walks over to Eli and grabs his hand.  
“Have a tea party with me?”  
I can see him trying to maintain his composure (Valentina always wanted tea parties when she was Lillian’s age, and Eli hasn’t seen her since then) as he looks at her and says:  
“Yes, Of course, Princess Lilly.”  
“How did you know Mommy calls me Lilly? No-one else but Lo does.”  
“Lilly was the name of a girl that was very important to your Mommy, Logan and I. I figured with a name like Lillian, of course your Mommy would shorten it to Lilly.”  
“She was Mommy’s best friend. Was she yours too?”  
“No baby. Lilly was the girl I loved.”  
“Show her the tattoo, Eli.”

Eli sits down in a chair and takes his shirt off. I walk over and touch his “Lilly” tattoo.  
“You see this baby? This tattoo right here says ‘Lilly’.”  
“Like Daddy had a tattoo of your name Mommy?”  
“Yeah, baby. Like Daddy had a tattoo of Mommy’s name.”  
“I have a tattoo of your Mommy’s name too.”  
“You do? Where? Mommy show me!”  
“I can’t baby. I didn’t know he had it.”  
Eli turns so we can see his chest. He points to a small tattoo below his collar bone I hadn’t noticed before. ‘Veronica’. I run my fingers over it.   
“When? Why?”  
“The day you had Michael. I knew you were never going to leave Don, and I wanted a permanent reminder of the girl I loved.”  
“But…”  
“Jade didn’t have a problem with it. She knew how I felt about you. How I always felt about you.”

I look at Eli for a second, absorbing what he just said.

“Lilly, baby, why don’t you go upstairs and get your tea party set up? Eli will be right there.”  
“Okay, Mommy.”

Once she’s out of the room I straddle Eli’s lap on the chair and kiss him.  
“I love you.”  
“I love you.”  
I kiss him again and then stand up.  
“You’d better get upstairs for that tea party. Little miss hates being kept waiting.”  
“Okay. I can stay for the tea party, but then I have to go. I have to figure out how to hand over the gang again.”  
“You’re quitting? Just like that?”  
“Baby, I would have quit last night, but I was otherwise occupied. You’re a lawyer and you have kids. I can’t drag you down in the muck with me. Plus, maybe if I show Jade I’m out she’ll let me see Valentina.”

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

An hour later Eli is gone and it’s just me and Lillian.  
“What do you think kiddo? You want to go to the beach and watch your brother surf?”  
“Yes please, Mama!”

When we get to the beach we see the guys right away. Dick is showing Michael proper standing technique on the sand. And Logan is out surfing. He’s easy to spot. He moves differently than anyone I’ve ever seen on a surfboard. I pick up Lillian and we walk over to where a group of girls are standing, openly gawking at Logan. Lillian spots him in the water and starts waving at him. He sees her and starts walking towards us when he’s done with that wave. The girls next to us are getting excited, thinking he’s walking over to them.

He stops in front of us and says:  
“Well, if it isn’t my two favourite girls.”

Lillian reaches for him saying:  
“Logan!”

He takes her from me and places her on his hip.  
“Hi, Lilly-baby.”

Then he leans over and kisses me on the cheek.  
“Hey, Ronnie.”  
“Hey yourself. You’re going to get her all wet.”  
“She’s three and at the beach, Ronnie. She’s doomed to get wet whether I’m holding her or not."  
“Valid point.”

At this point, the girls that were ogling Logan walk away.  
“Sorry Lo. Looking like we scared away your fan club.”  
“It’s okay. There will be more as soon as you leave.”  
“Well, it’s nice to know some things never change.”  
“Speaking of change…You and Eli?”  
I shrug.  
“A shrug isn’t really a response Ronnie.”

He hands Lillian back to me and we start walking over to Dick and Michael. When we get there Michael is laying on the sand pouting and Dick looks frustrated.  
“Problem boys?”  
“I wanna go in the water but Uncle Dickie says I’m not ready yet.”  
“Well, if Uncle Dickie says that, I believe him, Michael. He just wants you to be safe.”  
Michael flops onto his stomach.  
“Ugh! Parents!”

Dick, Logan, and I all share a look and start laughing. (This kid has no idea…he lucked out when he ended up with us.)

I lock eyes with Dick and gesture to Lillian and the bag I have over my shoulder. He nods and says:  
“Kids, why don’t we go to my house and swim in the pool? We’ll eat junk food and watch scary movies and I will bring you home tomorrow.”  
“I was thinking for the afternoon, Richard. Not overnight.”  
“Aww…Come on Ronnie. I haven’t had them overnight in weeks…”  
“Can we Mom? Can we?”

Michael is now on his feet, staring at me with those eyes he got from his father. (I can’t resist those eyes, they’re why I fell in love with Don in the first place.)  
“Ugh…fine. I’ll just hang out at home, alone, without you.”  
“Yay!! Thanks, Mom!”  
Both my kids thank me in unison and Lillian struggles to get to Dick. He easily scoops her out of my arms and takes the bag at the same time. He takes Michael’s hand and they start walking away.  
“Well, now what?”  
“Quiet time with Eli?”  
“He’s off trying to figure out how to leave the gang.”  
“Oh.”  
“What’s with the oh?”  
“Just that after one night with you he’s leaving the gang, but Jade begged him for months and he wouldn’t quit. Even after she left him.”  
“I know. It’s strange to me too.”

He moves closer to me and puts his mouth against my hair.  
“I mean, you are spectacular…”  
“So you think I’m controlling his mind through sex?”  
“Sounds about right.”  
“Never worked on you.”  
“Continents, years, bloodshed…remember? Our story isn’t finished yet.”  
“Epic, huh?”  
“Yup”

I shake my head at him and say:  
“Eli has a tattoo of my name. You don’t.”  
“Nope, but I have a tattoo of a bobcat. Easier to shrug off when some random hookup sees it.”  
He winks at me.  
“And I knew that he had that tattoo. He got it the day you had Michael. I saw it when he came to see you.”  
“He never came to see me the day I had Michael.”  
“Yeah, because I told him he shouldn’t go in there with that tattoo visible because Don would kill him.”  
“Don loved Eli.”  
“Not enough to not kill him for getting your name tattooed on his body.”  
“Probably accurate.”

I look at Logan and then the water.  
“I should go home, let you get back to surfing.”  
“I’m done. Want some company?”  
“You mean to tell me that there is nothing you’d rather be doing than coming to my house, where you are guaranteed to not get sex?”   
“Yeah...Nothing I’d rather be doing. We can watch a movie. I’ll braid your hair like the old days.”  
“Okay. But if you get a better offer, I’m okay alone. I promise.”


	4. New Routines

Logan grabs his bag of clothes and we walk back to the house. When we get there he props his surfboard up outside the front door and says:  
“You cool with me showering before we watch the movie?”  
“Of course. Use my bathroom, it’s not full of toys.”  
“Thanks, Ronnie.”

While Logan is in the shower my phone rings. It’s Eli. When I answer it he says:  
“Hi, baby.”  
“Hi yourself.”  
“I’m officially out. There are some concessions I had to make, but we can talk about those in person later.”  
“Are you coming over later?”  
“If you want me to.”  
“Well, Dick has the kids overnight, so…”  
“What are you doing now?”  
“Logan’s here. We’re going to watch a movie.”  
“Babe…”  
“Hey, not all of my movie watching ends up with mind-blowing sex.”  
“I know. I’ve watched plenty of movies with you without getting any.”

I laugh and roll my eyes as Logan walks in.  
“I’m hanging up now. I’ll see you later?”  
“It might be late.”  
“I’ll leave a key for you outside. Check the frog.”  
“Okay. I love you.”  
“I love you too. I’ll see you later.”

I hang up the phone and join Logan in the kitchen.  
“Where do you keep your movie snacks woman? I know you have some. You are you after all.”  
“In the top cupboard over the fridge. Otherwise, the kids would eat them all.”

Logan easily opens that cupboard and starts pulling junk food out.  
“How do you even reach this cupboard, you tiny pixie you?”  
“A chair Logan. I use a chair. Unless Dick is here. When he’s here he’s in charge of snacks.”  
“It’s so strange to me that you guys have become so close. You used to hate Dick.”  
“With reason. But he was there for me when I had no-one else. He just showed up one day and refused to leave. I needed him, and he wouldn’t let me kick him out.”  
“He does that.”  
“He’s a much better man now than he was.”  
“And the kids love him.”  
“Yeah, that definitely helps in my opinion of him.”

Once we’ve assembled our snacks we walk over to the couch.

“What do you want to watch Ronnie?”  
“Well, Eli and I were in the middle of ‘When Harry Met Sally’ last night, we could watch that.”  
“Doesn’t that have like…Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan in it?”  
“Yup. It’s a good movie.”  
“It’s about friends who fall in love, right?”  
“Yeah.”  
“I’m on board.”  
“Cool.”

I queue up the beginning of the movie and sit on the floor in front of Logan.   
“You’re sitting on the floor.”  
“Someone promised me that he would braid my hair.”  
“Right. I forgot. I’ll do that now. Do you have a hair tie?”  
“I have a three-year-old daughter. Of course I have hair ties.”

I grab a hair tie from the candy dish on my coffee table and hand it to Logan. I start the movie and settle in against his legs and enjoy the feeling of his hands in my hair.

“How far into the movie did you get last night?”  
“The diner scene where she fakes an orgasm.”  
“And that was just spectacularly hot or something?”

I laugh and say:  
“No. When we first watched this movie years ago I was teasing him and telling him that no-one sounds like that unless she’s faking. Which isn’t true, but it elicited the response I wanted.”  
“Making him doubt his ability in bed?”  
“I’m mean.”  
“No argument here. And last night?”  
“Last night he asked if I still believed that, so, of course, I said yes, because any excuse to fuck with someone’s brain, right?”  
“And then?”  
“And then he bet that he could make me sound like that without me faking.”  
Logan quietly says:  
“And did he?”  
“Multiple times.”  
“Ronnie, Ronnie, Ronnie. It’s not nice to play with him like that.”  
I laugh and look up at him.  
“I’m not playing with him. I was just teasing the first time, and last night’s comments came after some pretty intense conversation and kissing.”

Logan looks at me for a minute and then gestures for me to turn my head again so he can finish my hair. Once the braid is done I move up onto the couch, curling into his side like I used to when we were kids watching movies in the Kane’s theatre. He puts his arm around my shoulder and quietly says:  
“Do you love him?”  
“Yeah. I do.”  
“Okay. I won’t try anything then.”  
“Thank you, Logan.”  
“But if you change your mind, let me know.”  
“You’ll be the first to hear.”  
“Good.”  
Logan kisses the top of my head and we finish the movie in silence. 

After the movie was over Logan got up to leave.  
“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to Logan.”  
“I know, but I’d rather not be here when Eli gets here. I’m going to go hang out with Dick and the kids.”  
“Okay.”  
“I’m going to call a cab. Can I leave my surfboard here?”  
“Of course.”

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Twenty minutes later Logan is gone, the front door is locked, the key is outside for Eli, and I’m in the shower.

I’m rinsing the shampoo out of my hair when my bathroom door opens.  
“Hi.”  
“I was worried Logan was going to be in here with you.”  
“Why were you worried about that?”  
“His surfboard is outside.”  
“Yeah, he left in a cab. Left the surfboard here for convenience.”  
“Makes sense.”  
“Eli, are you planning on coming in or just staring at me?”

That seems to snap him out of whatever brain fog he’s in, and he says:  
“Of course I’m coming in.”

He takes off his clothes and joins me in the shower, taking the soap from me and washing my back. He buries his face in my neck and says:  
“I love you, Veronica.”

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

When we get out of the shower, Eli steps out first, allowing me to see his back (and all the bruises and welts located there) for the first time.  
“Eli, what the hell? What happened?”  
“Remember those concessions we talked about? This was one of them.”  
“Jesus, Eli.”  
“You knew they weren’t just going to let me go, V.”

I step out of the shower and gently run my hands over his back.  
“What can I do?”  
“Nothing babe, I’m fine.”  
He grabs a towel and wraps it around his waist then walks into the bedroom. I watch as he opens a bag that’s sitting on my bed and pulls out a pair of pyjama pants.  
“You brought a bag.”  
“Yeah. You can still kick me out in the morning if that’s what you want. I’m not assuming anything.”  
“Good to know.”

I walk over to the dresser, get my pyjamas out, and put them on.  
“Let’s do something about dinner and then talk about the rest of those concessions.”  
“You want to order in or do you want me to cook?”  
“Cook. I love watching you cook. Can you do it shirtless?”  
“Geez, that’s really a thing for you huh?”  
“A hot, shirtless guy cooking for me? Yeah…basically domestic fantasy.”  
“Well, if it does that much for you, yeah, I’ll cook shirtless.”  
“Excellent.”

We go downstairs and I sit on the counter as Eli rummages through the fridge and begins to assemble a pasta dish of some sort.  
“So? Concessions? Other than the beating, of course.”  
“My bike stays parked unless you and I are leaving town.”  
“Somewhat unfair, but doable.”  
“The shop keeps doing the work it’s doing for the next six months while we phase into a more legitimate business.”  
“…okay.”  
“And I have to sign my house over to the club. I have two weeks before I have to be out.”  
“What? That’s ridiculous. That was a concession for leaving the gang?”  
“No.”  
“Then what was it?”

Eli looks up at me, walks over to me, and puts his hand on my face.  
“Eli…what?”  
“That was payment for the guarantee that the club still protects you, your dad, and the kids.”  
“Eli, that’s not necessary.”  
“Yeah, Ronnie, it is. You have no idea how many threats the guys and I stopped in the last three years. I refuse to leave you unprotected.”  
“We weren’t even friends for the last three years. Why would you protect me?”  
“Because I have loved you since we were 17. I never stopped wishing for our timing to work out. I wasn’t about to let someone think you weren’t under my protection.”

I just stare at him for a minute, at a loss for words. Then I lean forward and kiss him. I pull him closer to me and wrap my legs around his hips. Then he moves back slightly and touches my face.  
“Baby, you’re crying. What’s wrong?”  
“Nothing.”  
“Then why are you crying?”  
“I love you.”  
“Your love for me is making you cry? That doesn’t sound good.”

I smack his chest and say:  
“No. That’s not it. Your need to protect me without thought for yourself is what is making me cry.”  
“I love you. It’s that simple V.”  
“Move in with us.”  
“Honestly?”  
“No, I’m kidding…Yes honestly. I love you, you love me, the kids will love you once they get to spend more time with you, and in two weeks you no longer have a house.”  
“Veronica…”  
“Do you not want to live with us?”  
“Oh, I do baby, I do. I just want to make sure it’s what you really want.”  
“Fine then, stay for a few days and if it doesn’t work out I’ll help you find an apartment.”

Eli pulls my face towards him and kisses me.  
“Okay V. A few days and then we’ll reassess.”

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

A few days turned into six months, and suddenly Valentina was coming for her first visit. We had set up a room for her, and Eli was currently pacing in the front hall, anxiously awaiting her arrival. I put my arms out to catch him on one of his passes.  
“Breathe Eli.”  
“What if she doesn’t love me anymore?”  
“Eli…You and Valentina talk on the phone almost every day. She loves you.”

Just then the kids go running past.  
“Hey guys, enough. Valentina will be here soon.”  
The kids respond in unison:  
“Yes, Eli.”  
Michael pops his head out of the living room.  
“Mom, can we go outside to play?”  
“In the backyard.”  
“Thanks, Mom!”  
Off they run. I take this moment of alone time to kiss Eli, pulling him towards me. There’s a knock at the door, causing us to pull apart.  
“I love you, Eli. Just breathe. Everything will be okay.”

I open the door and see Jade and Valentina on the porch. I reach out to hug Jade.  
“Hi, darling.”  
“Hi, Veronica. I missed you.”  
“I missed you too. Thank you for this.”  
“Of course…Veronica?”  
“Yeah?”  
“I’m so happy he found his way back to you. He’s a much better man when he’s near you.”

I squeeze her hand and say:  
“Come on inside.”

Valentina walks into the house, launches herself at Eli and says:  
“I missed you, Daddy.”


	5. Big Talks

Jade and Valentina stayed with us for a week before heading home. The first couple of days after they left, Eli and the kids were miserable. They didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything, and it was driving me crazy, so when Dick called and asked if I wanted to have lunch with him I jumped at the offer.  
“Dick, I’m losing my mind. I understand they miss Valentina, I do too, but this is ridiculous.”  
“I have an idea. And don’t shoot it down before you hear the whole thing, Ronnie.”  
“Okay…speak.”  
“Well, Logan and I were talking, and you know he just got back from deployment a couple of days ago.”  
“Yes.”  
“Well, we were talking about how much he misses the kids, and we thought maybe he and I could take them for a weekend - or maybe a week?”  
“Take them where Dick?”  
“We were thinking about Disneyland. They’ve never been…I know Don used to talk about taking them once Lillian was born, but obviously, that didn’t happen.”  
“They’d love that Dick, but I can’t afford it.”  
He looks offended at this statement.

“You afford what? No, Ronnie. Logan and I will pay.”  
“No way Dick.”  
“Yup. We already figured it out. It’ll be the kid’s Christmas gifts from us this year. We’re going to stay at one of those hotels onsite and take Lilly to a princess breakfast and that stupid Bippity Boppity Boutique thing.”  
“Let me talk to Eli about this okay?”  
“Okay. But if you say yes, we leave on Friday.”  
“You already booked and paid for the room didn’t you?”

He grins at me.  
“Yup.”  
“For how long Dick?”  
“A week.”  
“Fine. I still need to talk to Eli.”  
“I know.”

When I get home from lunch, Eli is sitting on the couch and the house is quiet.  
“Uh…honey? Where are the kids?”  
“Your dad came and got them.”  
“How convenient, I have something I want to talk to you about without little ears around. But first…”

I walk over to the couch and sit on his lap, straddling his legs. I run my finger along the side of his face.  
“I know you miss Valentina. But Jade and I were talking earlier and she thinks that Valentina could come to spend Christmas with us.”  
“Really?”  
“Yeah. Jade is happy with how stable your life is now, and Valentina loved being here. Apparently she’s as mopey as you guys are.”

Eli leans forward and kisses me, wrapping his arms around me and holding me to him.

“Thank you.”  
“For what?”  
“For loving me. For making me a better man.”  
“You were always a good man, Eli. I didn’t make you that way. I just saw what was there.”  
“I love you V. I love our life and your kids.”  
“Eli, they are practically your kids. You are who Lilly wants when she has a bad dream, Michael keeps coming to you for stories about Don…They love you.”

Eli kisses me again, then whispers in my ear:  
“Let’s go upstairs.”  
“I told you, I need to talk to you about something without little ears.”

He pouts a little and says:  
“Fine, can you stay on my lap while we talk?”  
“Uh…was not intending on moving.”  
“Good. If we could just sit like this forever, I’d be okay with that.”

I shake my head at him and say:  
“Dick and Logan want to take the kids to Disneyland for a week. Leaving on Friday.”  
“Do we get a say in this?”  
“They’ve already booked and paid for the room.”  
“I don’t want to be without them for a week…”

I lean forward and start kissing and nibbling on his neck.  
“But Eli, we could be child-less for a week. Think of all the fun things we could do. I could take vacation time, you could leave Hector in charge of the shop…We could go away by ourselves for the week.”  
“Or we could stay in bed for the week.”  
“Yup, or we could stay in bed for the week.”  
“Your dad is keeping them overnight tonight.”  
“Good. Let’s go practice for our week off.”  
“Yes, ma’am.”

He stands up, carrying me with him, and walks up the stairs.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Later we’re in the kitchen making dinner (well, Eli’s making dinner. I’m supervising.) and he walks over to the counter where I’m sitting, takes my hand, and says:  
“Marry me?”  
“Eli…I never wanted to get married the first time.”  
“I’m not going anywhere, V.”  
“Don didn’t think he was either.”  
“I’m not Don. I promise not to try to stop any robberies.”  
“Eli, my love. I was married, it didn’t end well. You were married, it didn’t end well. This is good. Let’s just enjoy this. If it’s about the kids, you can adopt them…If it’s about my last name, I’ll start using Mars again.”  
“It’s not about either of those things, but on that topic, I would like to talk to the kids about adopting them.”  
“Okay love. What is it about then?”  
“It’s about knowing that you are mine.”

I put my free hand on his face.  
“Eli, I am yours. We don’t need a piece of paper to prove that. Even my dad refers to you as his son. You think he’d do that for just anyone?”  
“No, I don’t think he would.”  
“Eli, I love you. I am yours. I just don’t want to get married again.”

His face falls.  
“Is this going to be a deal-breaker for you love?”  
“No, I told you years ago that the only deal-breaker for me was you quoting Elvis songs at me…But I am going to keep asking.”  
“Don used to ask every time we had amazing sex. Guess he figured it would help his cause.”  
“Well, I guess I can’t use that technique.”  
“Oh? And why is that?”  
“Because I’d never stop asking.”  
He winks at me. I pat his cheek.

“Oh, my sweet summer child…you think you’re that much better in bed than Don?”  
He smirks and says:  
“Well, he was old…”  
“What’s your record, Eli? I know you’ve been keeping track, trying to outdo yourself every time.”  
“For Veronica orgasms in a day? 15.”  
He looks very proud of himself and I feel a little bad about disappointing him.  
“Eli, Don’s record was 35.”  
He looks at me and blinks for a minute.  
“Holy crap. I have some work to do.”  
“Don’t get me wrong, you’re spectacular, but not quite at Don’s level yet. But I’d be happy to let you practice.”

I wink at him and then lean in to kiss him. (He must be taking this personally because his usual soft, sweet kisses are much rougher and dirtier right now.)

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

A little while later I’m scrubbing the kitchen counter (the reason seems obvious) and Eli is watching tv.  
“How do you feel about going to Vegas?”  
“Yuck. I hate Vegas.”  
“Do we want to go away at all? Or do we just want to enjoy an empty house for a week?”  
“I don’t know. My brain isn’t functioning at the moment.”

Someone knocks on the door and Eli gets up to answer it.  
“Leo. Come on in.”


	6. Take the Hint

“Hey, Eli. Veronica.”  
“Hey, Leo. What are you doing here?”  
“I’m in town working on a case. Thought maybe I could bother you guys for a place to stay?”

I look at Eli, and he nods.

“Of course. I’ll show you the guest room.”  
I lead Leo upstairs to the guest room.  
“Sorry for intruding. I know I should have called first, but we haven’t really talked since I was here last, and I didn’t know how much Eli knows.”  
“He knows everything, Leo. There was no reason to keep it from him.”  
“So I should expect to be punched in the face at some point?”  
“He’s not teenage-Logan, Leo. He doesn’t care that you and I slept together for 2 months over a year ago. He and I weren't together then.”  
“He’s really okay?”  
“With the past stuff? Yeah. If you start hitting on me now you may run into some issues though.”  
“Noted. You mind if I shower and then come pick your brain about this case?”  
“Not at all.”

I head downstairs and find Eli laying on the couch. I walk over and lay on top of him.  
“I’m sorry babe.”  
“So much for our week alone.”  
“We could go away and just abandon the house to Leo.”  
“Or we could stay here and I can torture your ex-boyfriend by seeing how loudly I can make you scream my name.”  
“Eli!”  
“Sorry V. I’ll behave myself. I like Leo, I do. He’s a good guy.”  
“But?”  
“But it’s the same problem I have with Logan…he’s touched you, he knows how you move, the sounds you make…”  
“What I had with Logan and Leo is not the same as what I have with you. You never had an issue with Don.”  
“Because Don and I had a long conversation about it one night after he got out of the hospital…and then multiple conversations over the years. I loved Don, and I know how much he loved you.”  
“Multiple conversations huh? Was my husband filling your head with the intimate details of our sex life?”  
“Frequently. Don liked to brag.”  
“Jade and I used to have conversations about you too…Mostly how much you like to cuddle.”  
“No sordid details in the girl talk?”  
“Oh, there were details…Let’s just say I was not surprised the first time I saw you naked.”  
“Interesting…Hey Leo.”

I turn my head and look at the doorway.  
“What’s this case you have Leo?”  
“Not even gonna get up, huh?”  
“Is it required?”  
“I suppose not.”

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

A few hours later, Eli is in bed and Leo and I are finishing up with the case file.  
“It seems fairly straightforward Leo. I’m not sure why you felt you needed to talk to me about it.”  
“Maybe I just missed you and I wanted an excuse to see you.”  
“Leo. Don’t start.”  
“I’m sorry Veronica, but it’s true.”  
“You can stay here tonight because it’s late. But tomorrow morning you are finding somewhere else to stay.”

I get up off the couch and start to walk away. Before I can reach the doorway, Leo reaches out and grabs me. He pulls me towards him and spins me around. Before I can react his lips are on mine. He’s holding both my arms, so I knee him in the crotch and back up while he’s doubled over.  
“What the hell is your problem, Veronica?”  
“What is my problem? What is my problem?”

(I know I’m screeching at him now, but I can’t help it.)

“You came into my house as a friend. Eli and I welcomed you into our home and then you do this?”  
“It was just a kiss, Veronica.”  
“It was a kiss against my will, Leo! You know what I’ve been through. How could you ever think that kissing me against my will was a good idea?”

I feel Eli behind me and can tell by the look on Leo’s face that Eli has heard everything that’s been said. Eli quietly growls in my ear:  
“Want me to remove him?”  
“Yes.”  
Eli moves past me, punches Leo in the face, and says:  
“Go collect your things and get the fuck out of my house. And Leo? Don’t come back.”  
“Last I checked, this was Veronica’s house. Not yours. You’re just living here.”

I step forward, put my hand on Eli’s arm, and say:  
“Leo. This is our home. Mine and Eli’s. He and I are living together. Raising children together. Regardless of how you feel, you’ve been told to leave. So leave.”

Leo brushed past us to go upstairs to collect his things. Once he’s up the stairs I turn to Eli.  
“You know he’s wrong, right?”  
“About this not being my house? Is he though?”  
“Eli…The house, the physical building may be mine…But this is our home. You are a large part of what makes this a home.”

He grabs me and pulls me to him.  
“I love you, Veronica. Please marry me.”  
“Because of what Leo said?”  
“No. Because I love you. I need you more than I need air. I had a whole speech prepared, and I have a ring…Please make me the happiest man alive. Let’s make our family official.”

I look at him for a moment, studying his face, looking for hints that he’s being even slightly untruthful. (I don’t see any. While he still looks angry about Leo, everything directed at me is love.)  
“I did make a very well-reasoned argument against marriage earlier, remember?”  
“Oh, I remember. But I know you, V. And I saw the look in your eyes then, and I see the look in your eyes now. You want to say yes. You’re just afraid.”  
“Yes, pointing out my fear is the best way to convince me of your point.”

At that moment, Leo walked through the front hall on his way out.  
“Veronica, I am sorry.”  
“Leo, fuck off.”  
Leo walked out the door, closing it behind him.

I turn back to Eli and say:  
“Let’s go upstairs and you can show me that ring. We’ll see if it fits.”  
“Really?”  
“Yeah…yes. Really.”

Eli laughs, picks me up, and spins me around before putting me back down.  
“Upstairs with you.”

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

The next morning we head over to Dad’s house to pick up the kids, my rings from Don now on a chain around my neck, and the lovely ring Eli got me resting on my left hand.

Michael noticed my new ring immediately.   
“Mom, you have a new ring!”

My dad looks over and says:  
“You do. It’s lovely dear.”  
He then turns to Eli and says:  
“Congratulations, son.”

Michael looks at me, and then Eli, and says:  
“Is Eli going to be our new Daddy?”

Lillian looks over and says:  
“Isn’t he already?”

Eli crouches down and opens his arms to both of them. After they run to him and get situated in his arms, he says:  
“I love you both so much. Would it be okay with you if your Mommy and I get married?”  
Lillian looks serious for a minute and then says:  
“Does this mean I get to call you Daddy? I’ve never had a Daddy.”  
“Of course you can my darling.”  
“Then I like the idea.”

Michael looks at Lillian and Eli and says:  
“Well, I had a Daddy. He was great. But you are too, so I guess it wouldn’t be bad if you were actually my Daddy.”  
“So does that mean it’s okay with you if Mommy and I get married?”  
“Yes.”

Eli smiles and kisses the top of both children’s heads.   
“We should call Valentina.”


	7. Tragedy

Four months after the engagement I get a phone call from Cliff.  
“Hey Cliffie. What’s up?”  
“Veronica. Eli has been arrested.”  
“For what?”  
“The feds got the club with RICO. He’s being held on the assaults and murders he ordered while he was the head.”  
“Jesus Christ. Was bail set?”  
“No. The judge decided he was a flight risk. None of the club members got bail.”  
“What can I do?”  
“Nothing. You need to stay away from this. You’ll be disbarred if you get involved in a RICO case against your own fiancé. I will handle it.”  
“Which agencies brought the charges?”  
“FBI and ATF…Veronica, the lead FBI agent was Leo.”  
“Crap.”  
“I want you to take the kids and leave town. Get Dick and Logan to go with you. Go somewhere none of you have any connections. Don’t come back until I tell you it’s safe.”  
“You think we’re in danger?”  
“Yes. With the club behind bars you’ve lost your protection. Leave, Veronica. Tonight.”  
“Okay. Tell Eli I love him.”

After Cliff and I hang up I go upstairs to start packing and call Dick while I’m at it.  
“Hey Ronnie.”  
“Hey Dick. How do you feel about leaving town with the kids and I for an extended period of time…Tonight?”  
“What’s going on Ronnie?”  
“Eli’s in jail. They got the club on RICO charges. It’s not safe for the kids and I here. Cliff says I need to go tonight and go somewhere that has no connection to me.”  
“I’ll pack and get Logan. We’ll be right there. I’ll arrange everything on the way.”  
“Thank you Dick.”

As I finish packing Dick and Logan show up.  
“Where are the kids Ronnie?”  
“With Dad. We’ll pick them up on the way…Where are we going?”  
“Hawaii. I rented us a house on the beach…In someone else’s name. We have a flight scheduled out of L.A in 6 hours.”  
“Okay. Well, I’m all packed. Let’s go get the kids.”

When we’re in the car I say:  
“Are you guys both okay with this? I mean, you’re giving up your lives to come with me. And Logan? What about the Navy?”  
“I put in a transfer request to Guam. I’ll deploy out of Hawaii, but officially I’m listed on the Guam roster.”  
“You really thought this through huh?”  
“Of course. We love you and the kids. We always have your back.”  
“I love you guys.”

We get to Dad’s and I run in to get the kids.  
“Daddy. You need to leave town. It’s not safe.”  
“I know. Cliff called me. I’m leaving right after you.”

I hug him and say:  
“I love you Daddy.”

I take the kids out to the car and buckle them in.  
“Let’s go guys.”

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

We had lived in Hawaii for two months when I got a call from Cliff. Dick and the kids were out on the beach and Logan was deployed, so I was alone in the house.  
“Cliff.”  
“Veronica. I’m sorry.”  
“What happened?”  
“Eli, Hector, and a couple of the other guys got jumped in the shower room.”  
“Is he okay?”  
“No sweetheart. I’m sorry. He didn’t make it.”

I drop the phone and collapse on the ground. That’s how Dick finds me 20 minutes later, after I’ve cried so much it feels like I have no tears left. He quickly sends the kids to play in their rooms and says:  
“Ronnie? What happened Sweetheart?”  
“Eli got jumped. He didn't make it.”  
“Oh Ronnie...I’m sorry.”  
“I need your phone. It's the only one not tied to Hawaii.”

Dick hands me his phone and says:  
“Who are you calling?”  
“Leo. I need to know.”  
“Okay.”

I dial Leo’s number and he answers right away.  
“Dick?”  
“Nope. It's Veronica. I need to know if you are responsible for Eli’s death.”  
“Veronica...”  
“Don’t use that sad puppy dog sounding voice on me. Did you have my fiancé killed?”  
“No. But he was being extradited to Texas for a couple of murder charges. He was going to get the death penalty anyways. Whoever shivved him just sped up the process.”  
“When did you become such a heartless asshole? He has children!”  
“He was a criminal! You don't get to blame me because you fell for a gang leader who ordered murders and assaults. Rumour has it he even committed a few murders himself.”

I was silent for a moment before he said:  
“Where are you and the kids Veronica? Come in. Let me protect you.”  
“I have all the protection I need.”  
“Dick Casablancas? That's your idea of protection? Jesus Christ Veronica! Let me help you!”

I hung up the phone and handed it back to Dick.  
“Don’t answer it if he calls.”  
“Ronnie....we need to tell the kids.”  
“Yeah...before we do that, I need to tell you something.”  
“What?”  
“I’m pregnant. I took a test this morning.”

Dick wrapped his arms around me and said:  
“Everything will be okay Ronnie. I promise.”


	8. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more story in the series, and it's a happy ending all around.

We lived in Hawaii for a year before Cliff decided it was safe for us to come home. We talked over our options as a family and decided to move back to Neptune. We decided that I should sell my house and that Dick should buy a house for all of us to live in (well, Dick decided that he would buy the house…Logan and I didn’t get much say in that). So Dick flew home first. He bought a house with a big yard and a pool for the kids. 

Once all the furniture and belongings from my house had been moved into the new house, Logan and I packed up the kids (flying with three kids, one of whom is a newborn, is exhausting) and flew home. 

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Three weeks after we moved back home, Dad came home. He came over for dinner that night and met my youngest daughter Lettie for the first time.  
“So what are your plans, Veronica?”  
“I’m going to take the next couple of weeks to get the kids settled, and then I’m going back to work.”  
“And you boys?”

Dick answers first:  
“I start filming a movie in a couple of weeks, so I’ll be gone for a bit.”  
Logan then says:  
“But I’m not due to be deployed for a few months, so I’ll be home with Ronnie and the kids.”

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

And so it went, the boys taking turns being home with the kids and me. Dick always scheduling his movie shoots for when we knew Logan would be home for an extended period of time. Things were relatively calm for almost a year. Big Dick came back to town and wanted to spend more time with Dick and the kids. Despite never being much of a father, he took to my kids very quickly. Then Spring Break happened. It started with the Sea Sprite and ended with Big Dick being decapitated and my car exploding in our driveway. No-one was hurt, but we were all shaken enough for Dad and me to shut down Mars Investigations and for me to focus my law practice. 

Dick had a hard time processing Big Dick’s death and started drinking and partying heavily. Logan took a leave of absence from the Navy to stay home with me to take care of the kids and Dick.


End file.
